Ask anyone in the Irish diaspora what distinguishes Irish whiskey, and you’ll get a lecture.They’ll rhyme off a whole list of things that make it special. But nine times out of ten, most of what they tell you will be wrong.

Plums, prunes, black currents balanced with sweet butter tarts and baking spices and the warming glow of real black pepper. Silky mouthfeel with hints of oak but not the woodiness of long-aged whisky. ★★★★★